The STABILO ‘Smash Your Exams’ Series. #3 Science

You’ve studied your socks off and E-Day is finally here. You go in, open the paper suddenly you can’t even recall your own name (that’s one aspect of neuroscience you weren’t planning to contend with in this exam). Nerves are natural but you can beat the worst of them by focusing your final few days preparation and by implementing these five tips. All of this should help you enter the exam hall in a confident frame of mind:

Practice makes perfect

The best way to get your mind into exam mode is to have a dry run, or two. Use old science exam papers, stick to the time allowed and check your answers afterwards. As well as getting you used to the challenge ahead, practice papers are a great way of identifying any weak spots in your knowledge,

Step up your revision

In the final week, you need to pull out all the stops with your revision. There’s no time to waste, even when you’re walking up the staircase at home. So, why not take advantage of this apparent ‘down time’ by putting revision cards on every step to jog your memory as you head up to your bedroom.

Avoid pulling an all-nighter

Nothing is guaranteed to produce a disappointing mark like falling asleep in front of your exam paper. Sleep is known to enhance the memory and, without it, both you and your eventual mark are going to suffer. If you’re worried about being behind with your revision, and feel the need to burn the midnight oil, make sure you leave at least a week before your exam so you can fully recover.

Banana Power

You don’t need to be studying biology to appreciate the performance-enhancing properties of bananas. Just watch the tennis on the telly and you’ll see the top players munching on this potassium-rich fruit to raise their energy levels. What better for your pre-exam breakfast to set you up for the big day ahead?

And don’t forget to PEE!

The key to a good exam answer is PEE: Point, Evidence, Explain. Make your key point; give supporting evidence, and then explain the point in full. This will ensure that you have a clear, well-structured answer and that you are not wasting valuable time simply repeating the question in the response. And, yes, you should also remember to visit the facilities shortly before the exam starts to avoid unnecessary discomfort and embarrassment.